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Salary: USD 170,000 - 202,000 / annual
Cowboy Space Corporation is building space-based solar energy infrastructure, developing modular, scalable satellites that collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit. The company transmits energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powers on-orbit high-performance computing clusters, and provides secure, high-bandwidth optical data transport. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), the company has raised ~$365 million from top-tier investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The team includes veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis, and NASA.
In this hands-on technical leadership role, you will own the navigation sensor suite used across launch vehicles and spacecraft. You will select, characterize, calibrate, qualify, and integrate inertial sensors and GNSS hardware, identifying opportunities to share components across platforms where they meet each vehicle's requirements.
Key responsibilities include:
- Define navigation sensor hardware requirements with vehicle and guidance, navigation, and control engineers; select the sensor suite for each application.
- Evaluate supplier accelerometers, gyroscopes, IMUs, and GNSS receivers against performance, environmental, interface, cost, and availability requirements.
- Identify shared components and interfaces across launch vehicles and spacecraft, documenting where different operating environments require different hardware or qualification approaches.
- Own electrical and mechanical integration of the sensor suite with avionics and vehicle teams; coordinate GNSS antenna, RF compatibility, and interference requirements.
- Develop characterization and calibration methods for inertial sensors; quantify error sources and environmental sensitivities; provide calibration data and performance models to the navigation software team.
- Plan and lead component and assembly acceptance and qualification testing (thermal cycling, thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, radiation); document results and close verification requirements.
- Lead sensor hardware failure analysis; work with suppliers to resolve defects and performance issues; implement hardware or calibration-software improvements.
- Establish repeatable calibration and acceptance processes with manufacturing and test teams; track hardware readiness for vehicle integration; coordinate regulatory or certification evidence.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related field.
- 8+ years of related experience in navigation sensor hardware or avionics assembly design and integration, including responsibility for hardware performance and verification.
- Understanding of IMU error sources, environmental sensitivities, calibration methods, and mitigation techniques.
- Experience integrating accelerometers, gyroscopes, or IMUs into flight or other high-reliability systems, including their electrical interfaces and mechanical mounting.
- Hands-on experience developing test setups, analyzing sensor data, and characterizing or qualifying hardware against defined requirements.
- Understanding of design for manufacturing and ability to work independently, document technical decisions, and coordinate delivery with suppliers and engineering teams.
- Experience with Analog to Digital Converters, Digital to Analog Converters, and Data Acquisition systems.
- Experience with a variety of sensors (proximity, pressure, temperature, strain gages) and encoder selection.
Preferred experience:
- Master's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related field.
- Experience integrating GNSS receivers and working with navigation software or guidance, navigation, and control teams.
- Experience qualifying sensor hardware for both launch-vehicle and spacecraft environments, or reusing components across platforms.
- Experience developing custom inertial sensor assemblies, including navigation-grade IMU triads, or supporting accelerometer and gyroscope development.
- Experience improving calibration, acceptance-test coverage, manufacturing yield, or production throughput for sensor hardware.
Note: ITAR compliance required—applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
